General Notes on Equipment - Micro Four Thirds

This is just a general note on the m43 equipment I use and a few thoughts on how that could change.

The more I use the Panasonic GX7 the more I like it. I can see why some people would find it too small but it fits my hands perfectly, which tells you something about the size of my hands. The Panasonic 7-14 f4 ( while having some problems with flare) has really surprised me by how good it is. I think I must try this lens on the GX85 which is the successor to the GX7 to see if there is a difference if at all. I doubt it but you have to try it out to find out. The ergonomics might be better but you never know.

Having looked at some images with this lens on an Olympus body the purple blob problem is really noticeable. I think this lens should be used only on Panasonic bodies. Reports about the Panasonic 8-18 f2.8-4.0 on Olympus bodies are all good and the old purple blob problem isn't present. This might well be the solution for me as I do prefer the Olympus bodies. Purely subjective.

I think Olympus is on to a winner with the 12-100 f4 lens. It must be one of the best lenses I have ever used, both in handling and in performance.I have a dilemma though. I would dearly love to bring the following lenses with me when out on my photography trips:

Olympus 12-40 f2.8Panasonic 7-14 f4Olympus 12-100 f4

Presently I think those are the best zoom lenses I possess regarding handling and performance. My problem is my camera bag is exactly right for two cameras and two lenses right now. I can carry it all day and that's not a problem. My problem would be carrying 3 cameras with three lenses attached. No, I am not going to be changing lenses; I despise that on the type of photography I do. Normally my family is with me and I put them through torture as it is. One lens, one camera. That's how I work. I've been thinking about a backpack but many of you will know what a pain that is. Taking it off and on again got me so furious in the past that I have ruled out backpacks a long time ago.

My Camera Bag

As you can see it's nothing conspicuous. A plain shoulder bag that could be carrying anything. But it only space for 2 cameras and their lenses.

What would happen if I would purchase the Olympus 40-150 f2.8 + extender. I did mention in an earlier post that these Olympus Pro lenses have impressed me so much it's going to be hard to resist that one. The reach would be a real plus when required you just add the extender for extra reach. Is this dilemma ever going to end? Probably not, and I don't imagine I'm the first one to face these decisions. The next question is, is the performance of the 40-150 f2.8 much better on the E-M1 II, or even the Panasonic 100-400? I don't think I'm going to discuss that any further because I promised myself I'm not going to upgrade from the E-M1. But that Panasonic 100-400 lens.......

If I do decide on a bigger shoulder bag, how big does it have to be? How big and heavy can a shoulder bag get before you fall over from exhaustion or do your shoulder an injury? I have no idea but I'm going to have to do some reading and research before I take this further. Of course planning comes into this too. Plan your visits, find out what you want to see and just take what's needed. I'm certain professionals (people who earn their bread and butter through photography) do this all the time but I'm just an avid amateur that would like to take everything with him; the usual thing.

Any thoughts out there about this?

After doing some research I might have found a shoulder bag that may solve my problems. Stay tuned!